Equipment used in semiconductor package assembly and test processes is subject to wear and tear due to the high number of repetitive steps involved in semiconductor manufacturing and testing. Thermal test modules typically use nickel-coated copper pedestals that repeatedly contact bare die, over-molded die, or lidded packages. The role of the pedestal is to provide an efficient heat transfer path from the product to avoid thermal overstress to the silicon. During repeated cycling interactions of the pedestal with semiconductor packages, considerable pedestal wear is observed, resulting in a need for pedestal replacement. During actuation of the test pedestal with a semiconductor product, the presence of hard foreign material (FM) particles from the automated testing (AT) process can embed in the pedestal with the potential to propagate cracks or cosmetic scratches in the product, resulting in yield loss. Additionally, the same pedestal is typically cycled thousands of times, and shear damage may accumulate in the form of pitting and thinning of the plating material on the pedestal. The exposure of a copper layer under nickel plating can lead to copper oxide spallation and introduce undesired FM particles in the process and/or factory. In addition to the introduction of FM particles in the test module, the thermal performance of the pedestal may suffer with plating removal, due to uneven contact with the surface of the semiconductor product and air gap introduction. Although some ceramic materials have been used for test pedestals, they may be brittle, making them a costly and unviable alternative in some situations due to difficulty of manufacturing and handling.